1. Technical Field
This invention relates generally to knot tying apparatus, and more particularly to knot tying apparatus for tying knots in fishing line.
2. Related Art
Tying knots in fishing line can prove difficult, particularly if a knot known as a “nail knot” is desired. Tying a nail knot requires manipulating one fishing line by forming multiple loops of the fishing line about itself and passing a free end of the looped fishing line through the formed loops, then passing a free end of another fishing line through the formed loops and synching the loops to a tightly closed configuration about the free end of the other line. This process of forming a nail knot is widely regarded as one of the most difficult knots to tie. As such, various methods and apparatus have been used in an effort to simplify the process.
It is known to form loops of one line about a post or arbor, and then transfer the line from the arbor onto another line. Unfortunately, during the transfer step, the loops can become distorted or they can fall apart, thereby resulting in an undesirable knot or no knot at all. Other apparatus are also known, and can be helpful in tying a nail knot. Unfortunately, these apparatus can be bulky and/or costly in manufacture. For example, one known nail knot tyer includes a spring biased actuator incorporating a first spring member and a spring biased arbor or piston incorporating a second spring member. Upon depressing the actuator, thereby compressing the first spring, the second spring biases the piston from an extended position to a retracted position. To use the apparatus again, the second spring is compress by pushing on the piston until the actuator is moved to a locked position under the bias of the first spring. Although this apparatus is useful for typing nail knots, it can prove costly to manufacture, both from a process standpoint and a component standpoint.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a nail knot tying apparatus that is useful for tying nail knots in a reliable fashion, while also being compact and economical in manufacture.